A well-armed high-speed destroyer with excellent maneuverability. High rate of fire and excellent aiming speeds for her dual-purpose artillery mounts ensured good firepower and efficient AA defenses for her time.

Modules

Rate of Fire(shots/min)

180° Turn Time(sec)

Maximum Dispersion(m)

Maximum HE Shell Damage(HP)

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell(%)

Maximum AP Shell Damage(HP)

Research price(exp)

Purchase price()

127 mm/38 Mk30 mod. 0

18

5.29

111

1,800

5

2,100

0

0

Hit Points(HP)

Armor(mm)

Armor(mm)

Main Turrets(pcs.)

Secondary Gun Turrets(pcs.)

AA Mounts(pcs.)

Torpedo Tubes(pcs.)

Hangar Capacity(pcs.)

Research price(exp)

Purchase price()

Sims

13,800

10

20

4

2/4/4

2

0

0

0

Rate of Fire(shots/min)

Torpedo Tubes Reload Time(sec)

180° Turn Time(sec)

Maximum Damage(HP)

Torpedo Speed(knot)

Torpedo Range(km)

Research price(exp)

Purchase price()

Bliss Leavitt Mk7 mod. 2B

0.8

76

7.2

9,666

49

10.5

0

0

Mk15 mod. 0

0.7

87

7.2

11,600

65

7

0

0

Firing Range Increase(%)

Maximum Firing Range(km)

Research price(exp)

Purchase price()

Mk6 mod. 1

0

12.9

0

0

Maximum Speed(knot)

Research price(exp)

Purchase price()

Propulsion: 50,000 hp

38.5

0

0

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1

Slot 2

Slot 3

Slot 4

Player Opinion

Performance

Fans of the American destroyer line will be very comfortable in Sims. She's fast, highly maneuverable, her guns spit out shells at a amazing 18 rounds per minute, and they turn fast... very fast. Her surface detectability is somewhat high as is typical of mid-tier American destroyers, but is lower than that of her tech tree cousin Mahan at just 7.3 km. Her turning radius is a mere 500 meters.

One tactic available to Sims is to fit the 5.5km torpedoes and fight in close quarters and around islands. She inherits this style of play from her predecessors like Nicholas and Farragut. Conversely, she can equip the 9.2km range torpedoes and fire them from stealth; however, the longer-legged torpedoes only do a little more than 8,000 damage. This is good practice for Benson and later American destroyers, and a capability that her lower-tier cousins do not have.

While her guns have low chance per shell of setting ships on fire, they put out so many shells that a target being focused will probably catch fire eventually. A reasonable marksman can — with some practice — hit sluggish capital ships like battleships and carriers over and over and over at medium range. She's also very capable of engaging other destroyers at ranges under 7km and quickly dispatching them with her high rate of fire.

Commander Skills

The following information is provided for players who wish to create a permanent captain for the ship. Those players who are retraining captains or using the ship to gain extra experience for a captain should consult the page relevant to the ship to which the captain will be assigned.

Consumables

A gunboat destroyer such as Sims is inevitably going to come under heavy fire; the abbreviated cooldown on Damage Control Party II () will eventually pay for itself. Shelling out the doubloons or credits here is highly recommended. Paying for Smoke Generator II () is captain's choice, but there are times that the shortened cooldown on smoke is the difference between sneaking away and going to the bottom.

Camouflage

As a premium ship, Sims comes included with Type 10 camouflage that lowers her detection radius, reduces the accuracy of incoming shells, reduces her repair costs, and increases the amount of experience she earns.

Armament

Main

Torpedoes

USS Sims (DD-409), lead ship of the class, on trials in 1939. The Mk 37 director has not yet been installed.

History

Design

The Sims class of 12 destroyers was built for the United States Navy, and commissioned throughout 1939 and 1940. They were the last United States destroyer class completed prior to the American entry into World War II. All Sims-class ships saw action in World War II, and seven survived the war. No ship of this class saw service after 1946. They were built under the Second London Naval Treaty, in which the tonnage limit on destroyer standard displacement was lifted, but an overall tonnage limit remained. Thus, to maximize the number of destroyers and avoid developing an all-new design, the Sims class were only 70 tons larger as designed than previous destroyers. They are usually grouped with the 1500-ton classes and were the sixth destroyer class since production resumed with the Farragut class in 1932.

Service

The class served extensively in World War II, and five of the class were lost in the war. Of the five ships lost, four were at the hands of the Japanese and one at the hands of the Germans. The class served on Neutrality Patrols in the Atlantic in 1940-41. Except for Roe, Wainwright, and Buck, the class was transferred to the Pacific shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. All of the ships saw extensive combat service. At the war's end in August 1945, three of the seven survivors were undergoing overhauls that were left unfinished, and were ultimately scrapped. The remaining four seaworthy ships were used as targets during the 1946 Operation Crossroads atomic tests at Bikini Atoll. One was sunk by the Able blast, while the other three were sunk as targets two years later after serving as experimental platforms.

Historical Inaccuracies

Sims’ Measure 12 (Modified) camouflage scheme is missing. She wore this scheme at the time of her loss.

Historical Gallery

Launching of USS Sims (DD-409), 8 April 1939.

Sims at anchor, date and location unknown.

USS Russell (DD-414), possibly as in 1941 with Mount 53 still equipped and K-guns added.